Cross-arm saddle.



C. L. PEIRCE, JR.

CROSS ARM SADDLE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 6. I916.

. Patented Aug. 29, 1916.

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1 5 quite common to use metal pins on Wooden CHARLES L. PEIRCE, JIM,

'10 HUBBARD &; 00. F PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA,

SYLVANIA.

caoss-Amvr SADDLE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF Patented Aug. 29, 1916.

Application filed April 6, 1916. Serial No. 89,368.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CHARLES L. PEIRCE, Jr., a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cress-Arm Saddles, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to cross arm saddles particularly adaptable for seating metal insulator pins on Wooden cross arms.

Wooden pins have been extensively used with wooden cross arms but it is becoming cross-arms, bored especially to receive the pin bolts; and wooden cross arm lines on which wooden pins were originally used are being equipped with metal pins. As the bases of metal pins are not always smooth than will be a tendency to cut the wooden cross-arms, this being particularly true where the cross-arms have rounded tops. Also under heavy service, the leverage of the pins against the arms will tend to split the wood. Furthermore, as the bolt extensions on the metal pins are of smaller diameter than the shanks of wooden pins, provision must be made to center the metal pins when they are used on cross-arms which were originally bored for wooden pins.

he important objects of my invention are to provide saddle plates on wooden cross-arms to afford a seat for metal pins to protect the wood against cutting; to provide saddle plates which will strengthen wooden arms and prevent splitting thereof; to provide saddle plates for rounded top wooden cross-arms shaped to give a flat seat for the Hat bases of metal pins; and to provide saddle plates which will accurately center metal pins on cross-arms originally bored for wooden pins or where the bores are of greater diameter than that of the pin bolts.

()n the accompanying drawing the various features of my invention are clearly illustrated.

In these drawings Figure 1 is a perspective view of the end of a wooden cross-arm with a saddle plate mounted thereon, Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of the saddle ,:-late on plane 2-2. Fig. 1, Fig. 3 elevational view of a cross-arm, partly in section, with a saddle plate and pin mounted themed showing the arrangement Where the bore of greater diameter than the pin is an end.

bolt, and Figs. 4 and 5 are sectional views of modified forms of saddle plates.

.The saddle plates may be of cast metal but are preferably pressed up from sheet metal, particularly steel. The saddle plate is of general rectangular form comprising a top with its side sections 11 and 12 deflected vertically downwardly, the top of the plate engaging with the top of a crossarm such as X and its sides engaging against the sides ofthe cross-arm. The top of the plate hasthe centrallylocated hole 13 for registering with a bore 14 in the cross-arm, the metal pin resting on top of the saddle plate with its bolt extending downwardly through the bore to receive at its lower projecting end a washer and nut for securing the plate to the cross-arm. The metal plate thus forms a metallic seat for the base of the metal pin to protect the wood of the cross-arm, and the plate itself byengaging with its sides against the cross-arm sides forms a strengthening strap or clamp for the top of the cross-arm to prevent splitting of the arm when the pin is put under lateral strain.

Fig. I shows the saddle applied to a crossarm with a rounded top and the top 10 of the plate is therefore rounded or convexed accordingly in order to snugly seat on the cross-arn1 top. In order to provide a flat seat for the pin base the central part 15 of the plate top is deflected upwardly and is preferably of circular form to fit the pin base which is usually circular, the hole 13 being at the center of the fiat circular seat and of a diameter to accurately receive the bolt of the pin.

In Fig. 3 I have shown a metal pin applied to the cross-arm X originally bored to receive wooden pins, the bore 16 being of greater diameter than the bolt 17 of the metal pin shown has the rounded top and a correspondingly shaped saddle plate is applied and has the raised flat seat 15 for the base 19 of the pin. The hole through the saddle plate being of a diameter to accurately receive the bolt 17, the saddle plate will center and secure the upper end of the bolt with reference to the bore 16. At the lower end of the bore I provide a centering washer 20 having the central cylindrical extension 21 for extending into the lower end of the bore and having the hole 22 for receiving the belt, a nut 23 on the bolt abutting against the washer to clamp the pin to the arm. This centering washer I preferably press from sheet metal. With the above arrangement the metal pin is accurately and securely centered on the cross-arm and finds a secure flat seat on the raised portion 15 of the saddle plate, whose sides 11 and 12 engage with the cross-arm sides and strengthen the arm against cracking or splitting. By providing a saddle plate on wooden cross-arms which center the.

pin on the arm and strengthen the arm against splitting, and which provide the flat seat for the metal pins, the resulting support is fit for very heavy service. In other words, a Wooden cross-arm which before had wooden pins will, by bein refitted with metal pins and saddle plates, e fit for much heavier service.

My improved saddle plates can also be adapted for service on flat top Wooden cross-arms, such plates being shown in Figs. land 5. In Fig. 4 the top 10 of the plate is flat throughout for fitting a fiat top cross-arm and its sides 11 and 12 are deflected downwardly to engage with the cross-arm sides. In Fig. 5 the top 10 is also flat but its central section 15 is deflected upwardly to form a flat circular seat for pin bases. Such deflection of the top will add to the strength and rigidity of the plate.

do not of course desire to be limited to the precise forms and arrangements shown and described as changes and modifications are no doubt possible which would still come within the scope of the invention.

I claim 1. A metal saddle plate for rounded top wooden cross-arms comprising a rounded body part for engaging with the rounded top of an arm and having downwardly ex tending sides for engaging with the sides of the arm, to thereby strengthen the arm against splitting, the central part of the plate rounded top being raised just sufliciently to form a flat seat for the base of insulator pins, and there being a hole through the top for receiving the shanks of pins.

2. A saddle plate for rounded top wooden cross-arms pressed from a single piece of sheet metal comprising a top part rounded to fit the rounded top of an arm and having downwardly extending sides for engaging against the sides of the arm, the central portion of the plate top being deflected upwardly just sufiici'ently to form a flat seat for the bases of insulator pins, there being a hole at the center of the raised seat for registering with a pin hole through the arm for receiving the shanks of insulators.

In witness whereof I hereunto subscribe my name this 26th day of February, A. D. 1916.

CHARLES L. PEIRCE, JR. 

